A warm recap from Lesson 6 🔁
Last time, we learned the difference between a conceptual model (how a thing is really built inside) and a mental model (what people believe about it).
We saw that confusion happens when these two pictures do not match.
We also practiced giving feedback and simple words so people can build a better mental model while they use the system.
Keep that in your pocket today, because direct manipulation – which means touching the thing and seeing it change right away – works so well mostly because it shrinks the gap between the designer’s hidden internals and the user’s simple belief: “If I grab it and move it, it should move.”
That match is powerful.
What is “direct manipulation”? Simple first, precise next
“Direct” means “right on the thing.” “Manipulation” means “change by moving or shaping.” So direct manipulation means you touch the on-screen object and it changes right then. If you pinch a map with two fingers and it zooms, that is direct manipulation. If you drag a file icon into a folder and it moves there, that is direct manipulation. You are not telling a helper to do it later; you are doing it right now.
Let us also say the precise parts, slowly and clearly:
Direct manipulation follows three famous promises. I will say each promise in hard words and then in soft words.
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Continuous representation of objects of interest. This means the thing you care about—like a map, a photo, a box in a diagram—stays visible as a thing you can grab, not as a hidden name in a list. Soft words: the thing is right there so you can hold it.
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Physical actions instead of complex commands. This means you do not have to remember tricky phrases or menu paths. You use moves your body already knows, like drag, tap, or pinch. Soft words: you act with your hands instead of your memory.
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Rapid, incremental, reversible operations with immediate feedback. “Rapid” means fast. “Incremental” means one small step at a time. “Reversible” means you can undo. “Immediate feedback” means the system shows the new state right now, not after waiting. Soft words: tiny steps, always undoable, and you see each step right away.
When these three promises hold, people feel safe, curious, and in control, even if they are six years old.